08-05-21, 11:39 AM
(08-05-21, 11:24 AM)Gnasher link Wrote: [quote author=Grahamm link=topic=6412.msg325015#msg325015 date=1620424482]
If the tyre is more than 5 years old, don't use it!
Why not? [/quote]
Find an old rubber band that's a few years old. Give it a stretch and it may well snap.
Rubber degrades over time, it may not be visibly damaged, but it can compromise the safety of the tyre.
A perfect example is when a friend was out in Qatar and needed a new tyre for his car. He was driving along when the "new" tyre failed catastrophically, fortunately on the desert roads there's plenty of run off area! When I suggested he check the DOT number, IIRC he found it was actually over 10 years old.
So you buy a new tyre that's five years old. If you only ride a few thousand miles a year, it might stay on your bike for another three years before it gets down to the wear markers by which time it's eight years old.
Tyres are not massively expensive and, frankly, my safety is worth more than saving a few quid on the bit that holds my bike to the road...